Toya jogs in the snow clearing his mind. He can't stop constantly thinking about Luna. She's like a drug, a bad obsession. He was on Dodge's tail for being obsessed with him but he's no different.
Avalon joins Toya jogging with him again. All week they workout ignoring each other.
Rex joins the jog ignoring them.
They return to the starting ground and exercise.
Dodge joins seeing as how it looks fun.
_Dodge, how long will you ignore the suspicious feeling that something is wrong?_
Dodge keeps exercising drowning out the voice as the workout becomes more intense.
~~~
Mira having a dream sees the hunter face to face. Naked bathing in a river.
"Oh, I didn't expect such a beauty like you here. Still upset? Luna always gets what she wants doesn't she? Dodge always said it but she's just jealous. Right!"
Mira throws a rock at him, "Shut up! You won't mess with me."
"First it was your brother and now it's the new guy. She asked for a whole city, what would they say if you wanted one?" He cups her chin and squats to her height, "It's always going to be Luna getting her way, not anyone else."
Mira punches him in the face. She pins him against the wall ready to rip him apart.
~~~
Chronos tackles her into the time vault, "Mira what the hell are you doing? You almost killed Luna!"
Mira looks at him confused, "No, I was face to face with that bastard."
Chronos drops the time vault and shows Mira what she did.
Bella is doing immediate surgery on Luna. Julia is helping.
"An amateur who can't use their power is always the target. This building is full of them. She can only take so much. I'll take her to spend winter at Lycanthrope." Lycan says.
Toya guts him in the stomach, "No way in fucking hell, if a piece of shit hunter thinks I regret loving Luna they are sorely mistaken. I'll have my lips on her lips as soon as he's gone. Let anyone who thinks they can try to keep us apart dare. I'll tolerate you one more time, but I won't repeat myself, she's mine. You can kill each other for all I care, but she is mine."
Rex sighs, "Well, we knew you'd do that, but Luna might have a different answer. I'm not worried here."
~~~
Luna wakes up and is at her old house.
"It was perfect wasn't it?"
"Until hunters, yes."
The hunter stands in front of her, "Was it worth it? Risking everything."
"I don't know."
"Do you even love him? You aren't fooling anyone. Lycan just caught your fancy."
Luna slaps him across the face, "You won't manipulate me. You can't give me feelings for someone I don't love."
The hunter laughs whispering in her ears, "But I can see it. The way you look at him, the way your heart skips a beat, when he touches you, when he looks at you," he leans smirking, "The way you just want to lean in when he's just inches away from you."
Luna sees flashes of all the times that happened.
"If you leave Toya you can have him. Toya is a bad influence. Lycan would never make you sneak off behind the others backs, he knows what's at stake. He's the only one that truly loves Rue, more than you."
Luna sees flashes again.
"Stop it!" Luna yells.
"We're just getting started."
Luna lies down and falls asleep.
The hunter wakes her up.
Luna yawns, "I am sleeping sorry."
"You can't sleep, I'm still talking."
No response..
"The baby's crying!" He shouts and Luna jumps up.
~~~
She sings in her sleep and Lycan chuckles shaking his head.
"Stubborn idiot." He says changing the baby
Luna stands up and pokes Lycan repeatedly.
~~~
In her dream she pokes the hunter
"You are the sad one. So you must cause others sadness so you know that you're not the bad guy. You are just sad, maybe what Toya and I did was disloyal and uncool, but at least I have some who loves me," She grabs him by the collar and brings him to her height, "You are just sad. Look at you, scared of a worthless hunter."
When Luna realises who is in front of her, and the hunter realises, and Lycan realises. The trans is null and void and Luna breaks out of it.
She gulps when Lycan growls at her, "Oh look. The baby I was singing for." She reaches for the baby but Lycan holds on to her.
"I had people who loved me, loved me so much they thought I was worth dying from. Strangers from all over the country including your mother. I know she loves me, she loved me and she couldn't even see me." Lycan says pissed off.
Luna takes his hand, "It's not like that. I realised you were standing in front of me. I heard you growl when I was poking you. I picked up on your scent. At the very last second. I needed someone to wake me up."
Lycan sighs, "It's not that easy, did he take it easy on you? Genjutsu is hard to get out of."
Luna shakes her head, "No, you don't know me. You don't get to say that about me. Why does everyone always have to think everything comes easy for me! I work hard just like the rest of you. He didn't, take it easy on me. I fought back and I won. Now put her down and get out." She opens the door wiping her tears away.
"Luna I didn't mean it like that. I just ..."
"Get out!" Luna says blowing her nose at the entrance.
Lycan puts the baby down and walks towards the door only to close, "I'm new here. Whatever your frustrations are, I'm not the one to be taking them out on. I just wanted to know how you did that?"
Luna sits on the floor, "I decided to sleep. I was tired, tired of feeling bad, tired of my friends being in secret competition, tired of this whole mess. I know I screwed up but screw all of you. I would have said I understand just don't do it again. I would have never just dropped me just like that."
"I'm not the one you need to worry about." Lycan says leaving as commanded.
~~~
The next morning everyone jogs with Toya not talking. Luna watches from her room.
Lycan smiles at her and she smiles back.
Toya picks up the pace when he notices running more laps than usual.
After training they shower and eat breakfast together.
Luna picks up her plate to eat alone.
Toya leaves his food and sits with Luna, "Mira said she wants this area. I wanted us to get everyone a space so it's fair, what do you think?"
Luna looks him in the eyes, "I think it's only a test. Because I got my own territory now she must get her own. Do it, because if you don't, it's going to be all hell on my end. Everyone went this way, we should go that way, there is more territories and larger ones." She says.
Toya cups her face, "What's going on?"
Luna bites her lip as her eyes water.
Everyone looks at her as she cries.
"It's not fair, why does everything come easy for me but it's difficult for everyone else? Why is my training never the reason I am good enough, I trained like the rest of you, worked my ass off like the rest of you, but when I do something it's a miraculous mystery how I did it, how is that fair? Am I not good enough? Is everyone trying to tell me that I am weak? That all this time I was just thinking I am strong, thinking I am working hard and it's paying off, but one little miss hap, and ..." Luna cries when Toya gives her a hug.
"I get it, I'll do what needs to be done." Toya kisses her cheek and looks at her neck, "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought I was ... I thought I was with the hunter."
Luna sighs, "He's gone, all that's left is people's true feelings, he's not a monster at all, he just let's the truth come out and everyone's real feelings are on the table. As far as I'm concerned he's not the monster I have to worry about." She walks upstairs to her room.
Toya looks at Rex without saying anything.
Rex chases after Luna realising Toya is asking him to.
"Well, this monster is waiting to hear what you have to say about my request." Mira says.
Rin smacks her with the back of the hand, "Miss smiley, always the ever happy deity, what did he say to you? What you were really thinking all along huh! Luna lost her parents when she was only a baby, she finally gets them back and she loses them again at the same time. You should admire her strength, not be a self centered attention seeker. She just turned 14 and she has to be a mother, you have no idea what the rest of us have been through. You're the only one at this table with both her parents. Happy fucking princess who knows nothing about what it takes to be strong. To shut up and keep going, cry in your own damn time and focus on surviving. You disgust me right now." She walks up to Luna's room.
Toya stands at the table, "We've decided for everyone to cover the new territory on the West. Its larger and no one is in that area. The sooner we go before winter catches up, the better."
He goes outside and sits under a tree.
Avalon joins him working on getting stronger, "How do keep warm?"
"I increase my body temperature. I work on making my flames hotter everyday or I'll freeze to death, what about you?"
"Same. It's more peaceful here." Avalon says.
"I just hate that I lost a fight to that asshole, when I fight him I'm beating him down with just a single hit." Toya says really angry.
Avalon laughs, "Really? That's all this is about? You are so weird. What about the hunters?"
"I'm not scared of a stupid coward who's afraid of me. Why should I be?" Toya asks genuinely confused.
"I thought they were dangerous."
"The only dangerous ones, are the people that can be easily manipulated by the guy. They are dangerous. Hunters can't actually do anything to us." Toya says.
Avalon takes a deep breath, sighing in relief, "Oh good, I thought they would ..." The earth shakes and he keeps his balance, "We should hurry and get those cities."
"Toya, we should go now. People will soon notice the territory." Mira says.
~~~
Luna installs the last shield for Aira who is not here, they even saw a nano city and saved it for Thomas.
Luna makes the rings for them and holds on to them for when they return.
"I'm sure I can guard them." Mira holds up her hand.
"No you can't. Now can we go back." Rin says.
Jake and Jet open portals watching as the flying Infected try to knock down the shields.
~~~
Colin notices the new cities and sighs, "They are supposed to be on city maintenance, not getting more cities to maintain."
Lily smiles, "It'll make the Water Breathers happy, it means more land for them, also means reducing the odds of the country sinking again. At least they are closer to home, there's still so much land for us to see."
Colin smiles, "Will they work this out?"
Lily sighs, "Mira is being so prideful it's unbearable. I didn't raise her to be like that. I'm confused about her behaviour, I didn't even think she could ever be like this."
Colin yawns, "I'm not getting involved. How's Ava doing?"
"Bella said by winters end she'll be on her feet. Avalon is training with Toya, he will be much stronger for it. No one is going to like finding out about the cities the kids took by the way."
Colin flops on the bed, "Why should I care what a bunch of jealous nobodies have to say. There's plenty of land and yet they cry for what belongs to others. I don't have time for that, let them talk."
Lily smiles, "I'll get the oil for your massage. I love you by the way."
"I love you." Colin says falling asleep.
~~~
Rex and Toya help install the new shields under the castles.
June smiles when everyone celebrates their potential new homes.
"Any list on who goes to who's territory?" June asks.
Rex nods, "Dodge gave names for each place. We have Luna and Lycan at Lycanthrope. That's the list we'll start with. They get necklaces that match with his."
June nods going inside announcing the names of the people moving to Lycanthrope.
Everyone looks a bit upset that only powerful warriors were chosen, only a few female were chosen.
"Sorry, but the water there is too strong. Only the best swimmers will easily adapt to the conditions." June reads the reason on the list.
Rex gives them the necklaces, "You can go there now. Try not to punch him in the face if you can."
He goes over all the lists and reads Aira's list last, "He's only 10 after winter will be 11. Please guard his home until he's ready to take over." June says reading the names and he's surprised it's a bunch of teenagers like him, "You're perfect." He says smiling.
The teens smile wearing the rings.
June is happy he got his own space too, "The rest of you have the 2 new castles and this spot to make homes in. Thank you for your patience."
Everyone thanks him instead deciding to throw a feast saying goodbye. They can still visit June's territory, but not the others.
"It's so amazing, this will be a great winter, when the others wake up. The water is starting to freeze. We should hurry."
~~~
The golden guardians return after their fruit were stolen.
They look at the new homes and look surprised.
"This is incredible. Look at how large these castles are." A boy touches the shield and it feels like a massive golden fruit.
"Look, they absorb the fruit. We should hurry."
They pluck the fruit while circling the shields.
"This one has a crack forming. More water will flow inside. There will be alot of nests this winter." A golden guardian says.
"Well, looking at other people's homes won't feed us. Those things could singlehandedly absorb all the fruit on the island."
A soldier points at the cities still under water, "Not on this country. Look, there's still so much land. It'll take more than that to keep this city above ground, but at least we get free food. I was tired of seaweed."
"Look, there's new territory. The more Stark resurfaces at this rate the more water flows in the wrong direction. It could lead to Golden coming back"
"Yeah, but they hate us. They are living happily ever after under that golden shield. Nothing can penetrate it. We should pick fruits there next. It is our job."
"They hate us, but maybe they are tired of living in a bubble."
"Yeah, they could build homes like this."
"Don't be naive. They are nothing like Stark. Those witches never needed us and they knew it so they treated us like shit. They will never do this for us. Not ever." The Alpha says.
Gypsy swims out of the shield going to her new home with her bags packed. She swims into the new house to pick the best room, but her door has already been decided with her name on it.
Her room is large, with a walk-in closet and a big bathroom.
Mira designed the rooms herself.
The guardians look at the houses.
"Why couldn't they love us enough to give us homes like this?" A girl asks.
"We should have never chosen to guard their city."
"If we build a city right below. People could mistakenly think we belong here." A castle builder says.
"No way in hell will we allow that." The Lycanthrope guardians say.
June comes out, "Let them build a castle. It serves only to better our strength. The age of war is coming. I would be honoured if you had allies to fight with you. I never want you to get trapped in time again." He says.
"What if they betray us? Stop us from picking fruit outside our shields?" A warrior asks.
June smiles, "That will never happen. Look at how many grew back. It'll never be like that for a long time."
The warriors nod and go home. Parties are not their scene.
The golden guardians build a castle and pick fruit day and night.